Lecturers Embark On Third Strike This Year Over KSh10 Billion CBA

Public universities are set to be paralyzed from Wednesday (November 1) as lecturers embark on a third strike this year.

The lecturers are striking over the failure of the government to implement the KSh10 billion 2013/2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement. It comes after the expiry of a 21-day notice the lecturers had issued in October.

Read Also: Public University Lecturers Strike Over CBA Implementation

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) secretary-general Constantine Wasonga said the strike will be launched at the University of Nairobi grounds. He asked all lecturers at the 31 public universities to stay away from the institutions until the government addresses their demands for increased pay.

“There is no turning back unless the government implements the new rates for both basic salary and house allowance. It is time to strike, strike and strike,” Dr. Wasonga said.

In the lecturers’ notice of the strike, they said that the Ministry of Education had failed to provide any communication regarding the funds they are demanding.

The CBA was signed in March this year ending a 54-day strike that began on January 19 this year. The government released KSh10 billion for the payment of arrears in June but reverted to the old salaries after citing lack of funds.

That is the money the teaching staff now want to be sent to their bank accounts.

Read Also: Top 10 Most Outstanding Universities In Kenya

Under the new CBA, the lowest paid professor is set to earn KSh170,050 a month, up from KSh144,672.

The least paid academic staff will earn Sh82,037, up from Sh69,794, the academic staff members will also benefit from a house allowance of 3.9 percent.

With most learning institutions having been on break for the August 8 and October 26 elections, it is now left for speculation to know when exactly the public institutions will head back to class. More than 500,000 students in the country have been affected.